Kenny in Mexico - Year 1

Fashion & Foro Alicia Concert October 14, 2010

2010-10-15T09:43:00.000-07:00

Hey all...

Well 5 months passed very quickly.. News from Mexico City includes that I have moved to the Centro Historico which means that I am now only just a few hundred meters from The Zocalo (main square) and the Aztek emperor Mochtezumas Gran Palace. A fact that I really like..!! Will upload apartment photos soon..

Besides the moving I have finally moved on the old postcard project that´s been circulating in my head for years now..!! Guess since the existing cards were so old I thought that it would be very hard to enter the market.. But hey finally something more or less easy in Mexico.. Talked to Conaculta (an government organisation that manages book/art shops around the country) and the boss-lady liked the cards and gave the go-ahead to give me a supplier number and so on...! So now I am slowly moving into more and more Conaculta shops around the city including Palacio Nacional, Bellas Artes and hopefully soon the airport shops.. On my own I am contacting other places and I am now in Hostels (Mexico City & Regina), Hotels (Condesa) and Museums, (Mexico City Museum) with more to come... Hopefully..:-)

The goal is to sell around 100cards a day which would pay my rent, parking, phone and more..!!

Besides that I will probably soon begin to shoot for a model-training agency for the wannabee models books.. Could be fun.. :-) Did my first Fashion shoot not long ago and it went okay.. Judge for yourself.

Yesterday I went to the famous Foro Alicia.. A small concert place the Roma zone of town. The bands playing were the cool Yucatan A Go-Go and the very famous band Botellitas de Jerez.. Got in for the practice and got to go on the stage, so a pretty cool night..!! Here´s some pics...

Mexico City Life

2010-05-23T11:52:00.000-07:00

Hello all

It´s been a while since my last post and lot´s have changed..! First of all I decided to move to Mexico city. It was a spur of the moment thing and from the deciding moment it took me 2 days to make the total transfer to the apartment I found in Mexico City.

I guess in the end Queretaro was just to slow for me and especially after having spend a few weekends in Mexico City where I really enjoyed myself in the buzz of the big city, I new it was a matter of time..

I´m now living in Roma Norte, a very nice, artistic and relaxed part of town close to hip Condesa and the electric nightlife, so I am very happy with my new place.

So now the big challenge is ahead.. To somehow make people (customers) know that they have another option photography wise.. Because this is the city when it comes to hip hotels and restaurants, magazines, advertising and fashion..!! So I am definately in the right place now I "just" have to sell myself.. which of course have always been my achilles' heel...!

So can I break through that invisible contact barrier an get the jobs..? Time will tell I guess...

Enjoy the photos from D.F and wish me luck..

Kenny

Isla Cozumel

2010-03-03T06:54:00.001-08:00

Hola everybody..

After my guide trip I took the ferry over to Cozumel and rented an old Beetle convertible and went around the island...! First time for me on the north side and it was a nice surprise.. The beaches were of the finest sand and the water cristal clear and turquoise blue.. Need I say more..?

Sunday trip through Michoacan with a visit at a Monarch Sanctuary

2009-12-14T11:51:00.000-08:00

Sunday in Tepotzlan

2009-12-01T08:02:00.000-08:00

Just a few lovely photos from amazing Tepotzlan where I spend my sunday. Located just one hour from Mexico city in a spectacular valley surrounded by mountains, this is a very popular weekend getaway..!!

The entrance to the cathedral was decorated like I have never seen it done before... Check out the details..!

Dia de las Muertos in Queretaro

2009-11-01T10:27:00.000-08:00

Hello again...

This year I decided to stay in Queretaro for Dia de las Muertos or Halloween if you will. Queretaro is not the most beautiful place to experience the celebrations but since it is my new hometown I thought I should honor it by staying and judging for myself.

These days of remembering and honoring the dead take place on the two first days of november. The first is in honor of the children and the second is for the adults. The Aztecs didn´t use these dates but the Spanish decided to move them to a date better suitable for the Catholic faith after they conquered the country.

The weekend leading up the celebrations has many cultural experiences ranging from City Legend Walking Tours, complete with oil lamps and a elaborately dressed guide who knows how to delivering a story in a dramatic and exiting way, to Indigenous dances and musical performances on the many plazas of the city. A live version of the Priest Miguel Hidalgo (Father of the Mexican war of Independence who gave his famous Cry of Independence on the 16 september, 1810) is also walking around town giving his famous speeches of liberty and independence.

Many official buildings and otherwise off-limit historical houses also open their doors to show of their version of the traditional 7 step shrine donned with painted skulls, flowers, candles, bread and candies which of course are brought for the pleasure of the dead which on this day are being honored for who and what they were when walking amongst us. The 7 steps represent the 7 deadly sins should you wonder... The story goes that the dead somehow "sucks" the nourishment from the bread and candies.

This tradition dates back more than 3000 years in Mexico to the Aztecs and their fellow colorful indigenous groups in Meso-America. In those days they did not use sugar skulls by the way. The Spaniards who conquered Mexico in 1521, considered this ritual to be sacrilegious and barbaric, and during their implementation of Catholicism they tried to kill the ritual. But like the old Aztec gods and spirits, the ritual refused to die.

Today many families with a Catholic spirit create their own in-house altar to match their Virgin de Guadelupe shrine and the graves of their loved ones gets a serious decorative overhauling including an all-night family celebration right there by the grave in the cemetary . This festival alone is worth a trip to Mexico.

And some sunday daytime photos from around the historic centre of Queretaro.

Wheels for Kenny... Finally..!

2009-10-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

Finally I found a car so I can now get around by myself which in Mexico is a big advantage because of the road system here..

It´s a Ford Five Hundred SEL V6 3,0 203Hk from sep. 2006 with only 45.000km on it´s wheels. With seats like sofas the long roadtrips just got alot easier on the butt cheeks..:-) And fully equipped including a nice HiFi stereo...

So come on over and let´s go for a ride....

Breakfast with the monks

2009-10-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

Today sunday I went with some friends to have breakfast in the honor of some famous monk (sorry can´t remember his name) who used to live in the monastary of the Templo de la Cruz. The food was very good and the surrounding yards and hallways were very picturesque... Here are some examples...

Queretaro Vs. Ciudad Juarez

2009-10-03T19:03:00.001-07:00

Tonight I had my first soccer experience with my new Queretano hometeam "The White Roosters" who was very appropriately accompanied by a nice Kykkelikyyyy ever so often during the match..!!

It was a nice experience with a good friendly crowd and our team came through with a secure victory by 3 to 1..!! Go Gallos...!

Family size beer.. Yummy...!

To eliminate all doubt.. We are in Mexico..

Something for the eyes while we wait...

And we´re ready for kick-off

1-0 to Queretaro

The crowd goes wild...

Concentrate now...

First class beer anyone..?

3-1 to Queretaro

Left ammunition from the battle..

Almost there...

2009-10-03T18:56:00.000-07:00

Thursday my construction man finally finished with my walls after postponing the date from saturday to monday to tuesday to wednesday and then he finally guessed it when he said thursday.. :-)

So in light of this experience I decided to paint the place myself.. Today saturday I am 80% there just missing 40% of the wooden poles in the ceiling..! They will be done tomorrow sunday I hope..

This is me and my roller..

In Progress

2009-09-22T17:57:00.000-07:00

Hola everyone...

So I just made it to one week in Queretaro now without any drastic happenings.. My biggest priority here is finding a car, so I am desperately looking and I think I am pretty close.. Friday I will go look at a nice Laguna Grand Tourer V6 with all the possible bling.. and a sidebonus the owner turned out to be the manager of the large Fiesta Americana Hotel here in Queretaro so I hope to make a side-photo-deal with him..:-)

And today things got started for real in my small shop. I payed the next 6 months and my Mexican Fix-it-all man began to make the walls.. They have to have a clean surface before I paint them. And as a last thing I found the right sofa at the right price of 200dollars.. The 3-day work in the shop which includes flattening all walls and closing a door-opening is costing me 230dollars.. Not bad..:-)

Here´s the photo...

Ps.. Found out I am not the only Dane in Queretaro... Went to get the drycleaned shirts and the owner asked me where I was from and made big eyes when he heard... "So is my wife" he said.. So will be interesting to meet his wife, Rikke from Aarhus. :-)

Arrived..!

2009-09-17T12:33:00.000-07:00

So I finally made it to Mexico which means my project has begun for real..! Scary..!

Arrived in Mexico city sunday the 13 of september and was greeted with thunder and lightning and dark rainfilled streets. I had decided to stay for the Independence day on the 15 of sep. which also made for a few days of relaxing and switching to Mexican time.

It decided to keep raining through the 15th but I went anyway since I haven´t previously seen the president take to the balcony of the national palace and make the famous "Grito".. cry for freedom. This cry was made originally by Father Miquel Hidalgo on the 15 of sep. in the year 1810 to declare war against the Spanish rule and is now a cry made all over Mexico. "Viva Mexico", "Viva la Indenpendencia" and "Viva el Pueblo" and so on...! Usually followed by fireworks and more music..

Today I am on my second day in Queretaro, the city I have decided to make my home for the unforseeable future...!! The sun is shining, the temperature a perfect 27degrees and my optimism is high..! Not to say that it isn´t a very strange situation to be in after all these years crawing for this exact situation.. because it is..!!

So now I will slowly begin to make my "To do" list and then get to work...

Wish me luck.. :-)

Hope all is well whereever you are..

Kenny

The dream and the why..

2009-08-20T01:02:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to Kenny´s Mexican Life experience..

In this blog I will share my experiences and all the ups and down´s that follows a change of countries from a small, rich and modern Denmark to a large, fascinating and beautiful Mexico with it´s fair share of problems. The groundwork and initial paperwork with fancy stamps and all has been done, the idea-book is full so now it´s all up to little me and the sungods to guide me through the small and great challenges on the tortilla-sprinkled road, to become a self-sustainable dane living in Mexico...

My mexican dream has been cooking for many years now.. I guess ever since my first visit in 1994 as a youngster without any clue of the outside world... and who almost drowned in the undertow of Puerto Escondido´s treacherous waters.. (had to be saved by a Yankee surfer..!!) so now the job has been quit and the plans made... It´s time for the big(gest) move.

Mexico.. isn´t it dangerous? many people ask me. And sure it has it´s share of danger.. more than old Denmark anyway, but as long as one avoid entering the drug and police industry and trust ones old backpacker instincts and luck, I´m sure it will be allright.. well it has to be I guess, because nothing´s gonna stop this dreamer in the midst of his biggest and boldest personal project..

I chose Mexico for it´s friendly people, colorful and amazing culture, fascinating history and last but not least it´s beautiful and diverse nature... Almost all kinds of nature is found here, from snowcapped volcanos over desert and lush tropical forests to perfect beaches.. all full of a variety of animals seldom seen in one country alone.

The second reason is that it is still pretty cheap and on my guide salary and a few photo gigs I can lean back and take time out for my own photo expeditions around this very interesting country.. So start holding your breath.. "MEXICO REDISCOVERED" the photobook is in my blod and soon my lens will find it´s first motive... and click..!

5 days to takeoff....

Kenny